Telemachus Picture

In Homer's "Oddysey", Telemachus is the prince of Ithaca, and the son of Ulysses and Penelope. In the book, he is portrayed as a young hero, who goes looking for his father with the help of Athena, goddess of wisdom.

But the inspiration for this painting really came from an opera by Claudio Monteverdi. In Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria, (composed around 1640) there is a scene where Telemachus tells his mother, Penelope, about his encounter with Helen of Troy and how incredible beautiful she was. He goes on to narrate how a little bird forebode the return of his father, Ulysses from the war.

I have to say, though, I'm NOT proud of this painting, the colors never really came together and the composition is all over the place. The good news is that I learn from my mistakes, so the next one will be better